


The Boys Time Can't Capture

by ZoeWiloh



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Astral Messengers, Chose not to use archive warnings for spoiler purposes, Friendship, Gen, Happy Ending, How many times can I type the phrase 'something is wrong but idk what', Is there life after death?, Isekai, My explanation for chapter 15, Mystery, Nobody stays dead, Post-Game, The astrals tried this time okay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:15:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28793037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZoeWiloh/pseuds/ZoeWiloh
Summary: Noctis, Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto are all feeling uneasy when noticing things that don't seem quite right. Everything about their roadtrip seems to be perfect...but something is very wrong that none of them can identify.What exactly is happening? And will it lead to a happy ending?
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia & Prompto Argentum & Noctis Lucis Caelum & Ignis Scientia
Comments: 18
Kudos: 18





	1. Enjoy It While It Lasts

With one final, satisfying warp strike, Noctis took down the last of the herd of Cactuars. Looking around at his friends, he saw them all standing straight, seemingly without a scratch on them - quite a feat when going against a single Cactuar, even more so for a group of them. Ignis was doing a much better job at hiding his triumphant smirk than Gladio was, and Noctis was sure his was clear on his face as well. 

But something was off about Prompto. He wasn’t bouncing on the balls of his feet or singing his victory fanfare. He was looking down at one of their fallen foes, a contemplative look on his face. 

Noctis walked over to his best friend’s side and joined him in observing the defeated Cactuar, but he couldn’t find anything amiss that could be drawing Prompto’s attention. “Something wrong?” he finally asked. 

“I’m not sure,” Prompto admitted. He seemed uneasy. Noctis gave him another moment to collect his thoughts and eventually Prompto continued, “I don’t know about you, but I felt kinda bad taking those down. They weren’t that much of a threat, y’know?” 

“On the contrary,” Ignis added, approaching the younger pair from behind. “Cactuar can be quite dangerous indeed. I know you feel a particular fondness for animals, Prompto, but out in the wild it’s ‘kill or be killed’.” 

“And personally, I prefer the form-” Noctis began, tone carefree and light. 

“No!” Prompto cut him off insistently. “These were no threat to us! Surely we could’ve left them alone! Why did they have to die?” 

“Even if they weren’t a threat to us, they could be a real threat to untrained civilians out here beyond the wall,” Ignis insisted back. “Surely you don’t object to protecting your fellow Lucians?” 

At that comment, Prompto’s face fell. He seemed hurt and though Noctis wasn’t sure why, he gave a sharp glance to Ignis regardless. Turning back to Prompto with a softer look, he tried to placate his friend gently, “Look, I know this is hard for you. You haven’t been training long and all this must be overwhelming.” He turned his gaze back to his advisor and added pointedly,  _ “Right,  _ Ignis?” 

Ignis had the sense to look properly chastised. He responded softly, “Of course. Apologies, Prompto. I did not mean to suggest an unwillingness on your part to protect your fellow man.”

Though he’d been watching silently up until this point, Gladio finally chipped in, “Yeah, Blondie, we know you’re willing to help. You’re here, ain’tcha? We’re just trying to help keep the peace while we’re out here, that’s all.” 

Noctis heard Prompto mumble something but couldn’t make out enough of the words to understand any of what he said. Assuming Prompto never meant for the words to be heard, he reached out to clap a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “How about we head to a motel? The one in Longwythe isn’t far from here, right Specs?” 

For a moment, Noctis worried Ignis would object to the cost of a motel when the weather was so nice - he was always wont to save money when camping wouldn’t be unpleasant - but he seemed to take the hint and said, “Indeed, I think that could be arranged.” 

Bumping his shoulder into Prompto’s in a friendly manner, he asked him with a grin, “Sound good to you, Prom? Real beds? Actual showers?”

Prompto still seemed a bit torn and the smile he returned was just a touch forced, but he replied easily, “Sure does!” 

\--

When they arrived at the motel not long after, they went to the diner for their evening meal. It was a way to treat themselves that they seemed to be indulging in more lately, but none of them were complaining. The frequent diner trips were apparently neither adding to Prompto’s waistline nor putting a dent in their wallet, since Prompto and Ignis never complained, so Noctis decided to just enjoy it while it lasted. 

After their meal, Noctis claimed first shower and raced back to the motel before Gladio could try to beat him to it. Noctis walked into their room’s bathroom and turned the water on in the shower, stepping back for a moment while it warmed up. 

While he waited, he retreated a few steps to look in the mirror. Expecting to see nothing out of the ordinary, perhaps just some of the Leiden dust and grime that was always present after a day of hunts in the desert, he was startled by his reflection. There was the exact amount of dirt he was expecting, but something about what he saw threw him badly, though he couldn’t pinpoint what or why. 

Something about his face seemed off, but that was absurd. He looked the same as when they left Insomnia about…hmm, how long ago was that? He wasn’t sure. But it couldn’t have been that long ago. Why did he expect to see a completely different face in the mirror? It left him deeply unsettled. 

The harder he tried to think about what he expected, the less sense it was making. Why on Eos would he be surprised by his appearance? He was well used to the accumulated dust across his face, which probably would have startled him back in Insomnia, but out here that was entirely normal. He’d be more surprised if it  _ wasn’t  _ there after a day out and about in Leide.

He leaned in closer to the mirror to get a better look. When he tried to think of what he was expecting to see, the idea grew fuzzier in his mind. He was just struck by how  _ young _ he looked. But that was preposterous…wasn’t it? 

Leaning in even closer, he looked at every minute detail of his face. His skin was smooth behind the grime of the day, no sign of facial hair or - wait, facial hair? Noctis had never dealt with real facial hair in his life. It was something Gladio teased him about often. He only shaved about once a week, but even that was only due to pride more than actual necessity. He refused to acknowledge that he didn’t actually  _ need _ to shave at the age of twenty, so he went through the motions to pretend - not that he was fooling anyone, really, but everyone has their quirks and insecurities, right? 

His eyes moved away from his jaw and up to look into his eyes, partially hidden behind his bangs. Suddenly his bangs were bothering him, but why? He had done his hair like this for years. Being able to hide his eyes behind the thin layer of hair was a comfort. Why would that be off to him? And why did his eyes look…different somehow?

Suddenly, Noctis felt compelled to lift up his shirt to get a look at his chest. Again, he was somehow surprised by not seeing a mark on his chest. What was he expecting to see? Blood? A scar? A gaping hole? 

He ran one hand across his chest, his skin tingling as his fingers passed over his sternum. He had no recollection of getting hit in the chest in their recent battles, yet he was somehow surprised to see the skin unmarred. Yet again, he wasn’t sure why he expected to see anything different, but he was unsettled all the same. 

All the pieces of the puzzle continued to pile up but refused to reveal any sort of answer. The confused feeling was extremely off-putting. 

Noctis was violently pulled from his close inspection of his reflection when Gladio banged on the bathroom door. “Hey, Princess! You better not be hogging all the warm water!” 

Barely swallowing his yelp at the sudden noise, Noctis stripped down, scampered into the shower, and shouted in reply, “Can’t hear you, I’m in the shower! I’ll be out soon!”

\--

After exiting the shower, Noctis crawled directly into the bed he would share with Prompto. 

Figuring there’s no point in trying to sleep before Prompto got out of the shower, he stared at the ceiling, deep in thought. The fact that his own reflection startled him so badly was still eating at him. Why was that? Why was he expecting to see someone other than himself when he looked into the mirror? Why did something feel so severely  _ wrong? _

He was so lost in thought he barely noticed when Prompto climbed into bed next to him. Glancing over at his friend, he could see something was clearly bothering Prompto, too. He felt bad that he didn’t want to ask; he was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t have the brain power to untangle someone else’s. 

Soon sleep was calling him, and as he drifted off, Noctis thought about Insomnia. He missed his city, but it wasn’t like it wasn’t there anymore. When they were done with…whatever they were out here to do, they’d be able to go back, wouldn’t they? 

He almost chuckled to himself. Of course they’d be able to go back home eventually. In the morning, he would try to remember to ask Ignis when they would be able to head home. The outlands of Lucis were really something, but he was ready to be back in the familiar surroundings of Insomnia, back in his own bed at his own apartment, surrounded by his own belongings. Familiarity sounded nice right about now. He drifted off to sleep with a tiny, longing smile on his face. 

But by morning, his thoughts of Insomnia were long forgotten. 


	2. In a Daze

When Ignis opened his eyes to see the ceiling in their motel room in Longwythe the next morning, he was startled for some reason he couldn’t put his finger on. He knew that’s where he was when he fell asleep, and a quick glance around told him his companions were also there, still deeply dreaming. 

But something felt off. The longer he thought about it, the more sure he was that something wasn’t quite right…but he couldn’t imagine what he was finding so startlingly wrong. 

It struck him that it was almost as if he was surprised to be waking up. 

No, that wasn’t _quite_ it...

Was he really surprised he was able to _see?_ What a preposterous thought!

He slowly rose out of bed, making an effort not to wake the others. Well, not to wake Prompto or Gladio. Waking Noctis was quite a feat normally and he knew he didn’t need to put forth extra effort not to raise the dead.

…Something about thinking of Noctis as dead pulled at his heart. While he couldn’t deny it was an apt comparison as far as how heavy a sleeper the prince was, the stray thought sent an unfathomable pang through his chest. He shook his head as he finished rising carefully from the bed. There was no need for such morbid thoughts so early in the morning, especially not before he even had his coffee. 

After dressing quietly, he exited the motel room and crossed the parking lot and street to reach the diner. He nodded politely at the woman peddling her wares outside and crossed the threshold into the cool air of the diner. In a daze, he turned in proof of their victories the previous day and collected the bounties they’d earned. 

He heard the proprietor of the diner say something, but his brain didn’t parse the words. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that? I’m afraid I’m still half asleep before my morning coffee,” Ignis said. If he was being honest, his head had been feeling fuzzy for quite some time, caffeine or no, but he was loath to admit _that_ aloud to a perfect stranger.

The owner of the diner laughed as if Ignis had told him a marvelous joke rather than an unfortunate half-truth. “I said you boys have certainly been busy! Thank you for taking care of so many beasties for us. It’s such a help to the community. We really owe you boys for all your hard work!”

“Oh, no need for that,” Ignis replied humbly. “The bounties shall more than suffice.”

“No, no, I mean it! Let me prepare breakfast for you boys, on the house,” he insisted. 

Ignis froze for a moment, considering the offer. While he could not deny he was flattered by how grateful the man was, he was unsure about accepting such generosity when they could likely afford the meal just fine. He closed his eyes to focus in order to check the funds in the armiger and found a rather large sum of gil. If necessary, the amount of gil he found could sustain the four of them for quite some time. He absently wondered how such a large amount had accumulated without his notice before he realized he had taken too long in thought and the diner owner was staring at him curiously. 

Shaking himself out of his unproductive train of thought, Ignis replied, “We really don’t want to impose.” 

“No imposition at all!” the man exclaimed. “Please, let me do this for you.”

Ignis could see that the man wasn’t going to be deterred easily, so he answered, “Thank you for your generosity. My companions will greatly enjoy this treat, though I must insist upon paying properly in the future.” 

The man sagged in defeat, as if he had been about to offer them free food indefinitely, but ultimately nodded and complied, setting off to working on their food. 

Settling onto a stool at the counter, Ignis’ mind wandered as he waited for their breakfast. He supposed they did deserve a treat, as they had indeed been working very hard on hunts lately and everything else that had happened… 

When their food was finished and bagged, Ignis took it and offered a final thanks to the owner of the diner. As he walked out the door, he spotted Gladio standing nearby, talking to the woman selling produce in the diner parking lot. Noticing Ignis exiting the diner, Gladio parted from the woman and strode over to join Ignis on the short walk back to the motel. 

“You’re spoiling that kid, you know that?” Gladio suddenly asked as they walked. 

With an indignant sniff, Ignis replied, “I hardly think that’s the case. What makes you say so?” 

“You realize how much diner food we’ve eaten lately? It’s a miracle we can even afford gas or potions at this point.” 

Ignis refrained from mentioning that their breakfast for this morning was paid for in hard work rather than cash and replied, “Actually, I checked the armiger and we have quite a stockpile of funds saved up.”

“Really?” Gladio asked, sounding shocked. “I guess we have been going easier on the curatives lately,” he murmured. “You did pay for the motel room last night, right?” 

Scoffing, Ignis replied indignantly, “What do you take me for, Gladiolus? Some sort of deadbeat? _Of course_ I paid for the room, don’t be ridiculous.”

“Sorry, sorry. I just never saw you hand any money over.” 

Struggling to disguise the faltering in his steps, Ignis realized he didn’t exactly recall paying either, now that Gladio said something. Regardless, he took pride in being the responsible one of the group, so if they had stayed in a room last night - which they most certainly did - he was sure it must have been properly paid for. People here in the outlands didn’t seem to be hurting for money as much as the rundown appearance of the buildings would suggest, but very few of them recognized their group, so it wasn’t as if they would’ve been allowed to stay free of charge because of their status. The diner owner only knew of their contributions to beast control because he was in charge of the bounties, after all. 

“You’re still spoiling Noct rotten,” Gladio said with a smirk, clearly knowing he had found one of the advisor’s few sore spots. 

“I’d say we all deserve it after all we’ve been through,” Ignis replied testily. 

Gladio looked surprised at the response. “Whaddaya mean?” 

Ignis opened his mouth to reply but found that _he_ wasn’t even sure what he meant by that statement. They had been working hard on hunts, but he couldn’t point to any considerable hardship they had faced since leaving Insomnia. He couldn’t even recall any of their group getting seriously hurt in recent weeks. The hunts had been so easy that he realized they hadn’t needed to restock on curatives since they left the city. A quick glimpse into the armiger showed that they weren’t even close to running low, either. In fact, if he wasn’t remembering incorrectly, they had just as many potions as the day they left the city. Curious...

Realizing that Ignis couldn’t defend what he said, Gladio smirked triumphantly and said, “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” 

Sighing internally, Ignis opened the door to their room. He set about pulling their plastic dishware out of the armiger and plating the food he had brought for breakfast. He was right that the smell would likely rouse Noctis somewhat, as it seemed to have him stirring already, and Prompto returned from his morning run not long after he was finished setting the table. 

After pulling Noctis fully out of bed and gathering around the table, Ignis let his mind wander as the group eagerly ate. He still hadn’t forgotten that strange feeling he had when he woke up earlier, which was really bothering him. Why was he startled upon waking? Yes, they had mostly been camping lately, but it was hardly the first time Ignis had awoken to the sight of a motel room…it wasn’t even the first time for _this specific_ room...

That creeping feeling that he’d had earlier - that this discomfort was less related to _what_ he saw when he woke than the fact he _could_ see at all - still wouldn’t leave him. He couldn’t explain where that thought had come from, or why it made him so ill at ease, causing a tightness in his chest.

Ultimately, he put the feeling out of his mind and allowed himself to think of other things, like their plans for the day, and the day after, and the day after that. They had officially completed all the bounties this region had to offer for now, so it was time to move on to another region. But first, maybe a few days down in Galdin Quay would do his unsettled mind some good. 


	3. Aggressively Pretending

“Noct, a night at a campsite won’t kill ya, quit bein’ a drama queen,” Gladio informed his charge, feigning a tone of weariness reminiscent of Ignis when Noctis was particularly difficult as a youth. 

“You don’t know what, it might!” Noctis snarked back dramatically, to which Gladio gave him a purely unamused look in response. “But Galdin Quay is  _ right there,  _ Gladdy,” the prince whined, pointing at the classy waterfront hotel petulantly. He was probably hoping that using Iris’ nickname for him would soften him up to the request. Fat chance. 

Prompto snickered at their show from nearby. “Gods, Noct, could you sound more like a child right now?” Noctis responded to that with an unamused look of his own, tinged with a hint of betrayal. 

“Highness,” Ignis began, finally stepping in, “while I am aware of the proximity of the Quay and that we can afford a single night there without breaking the bank, I am inclined to agree with Gladio. It’s such a beautiful evening and one night under the stars is surely not enough to bring about your demise, especially with your Crownsguard present.” 

Smiling at his victory, Gladio shut the door of the Regalia with a little too much force, earning a somewhat dirty glance from Noctis. 

He led the way to the haven on the beach, letting the others trail behind at their own paces. Jogging up the ramp, he examined the campsite as he slowly turned in a circle. The view really was gorgeous; this had to be the best haven they’d stayed at yet. He could hardly think of a downside to staying there for a night. It was cheaper, the view was just as good if not better, and they could wake up to the sound of waves lapping on the beach. What’s not to love?

Gladio waited until everyone had made it up onto the elevated stone platform of the haven before wordlessly starting to pitch the tent while Ignis began to set up where he would cook their dinner and the two younger members of the party sprawled into the camping chairs they’d carried. Normally he’d complain that they weren’t even helping, but he felt pretty good for having spent a day exploring and assisting some locals. 

It turned out Gladio didn’t need to be the one to crack the whip; within a few minutes Ignis commented on their lack of assistance, sending Noctis and Prompto scurrying back to the Regalia to fetch a few things. 

\--

An hour later, the sun was setting just as they were settling in for dinner. There was some idle chatter between the members of the group as they ate, but Gladio was mostly staring off into the distance while picking half-heartedly at his food. It was delicious, of course - Ignis’ cooking was never anything but fantastic - but there was a discomfort he was feeling that he couldn’t seem to shake. He caught the analyzing look that Ignis was throwing his way and rushed to eat a few more bites before he offended their resident chef. 

Prompto and Noctis finished their meals first - a mix of Prompto’s typically speedy eating and Noctis always picking around the vegetables in the dish and leaving a third of the food uneaten - and pulled out their phones to play King’s Knight. Gladio picked up the pace and soon finished his own meal as well, just as Ignis was getting up to fetch a couple beers from their cooler. Ignis surreptitiously popped the caps off the bottles and sneakily handed one to Gladio before settling in with his own. 

While neither of the older members of the party felt particularly good about drinking ‘on the job’, they’d both taken to having at least a drink or two most nights since they left Insomnia. They still kept their drinking quiet though, in an effort to slip it past Noctis. They were probably being overprotective considering he was past the legal drinking age…but maybe being secretive about their evening drinks was half the fun, like teenagers just itching to do something forbidden simply because it was something they knew they shouldn’t.

Gladio had been sure Ignis was sneaking in some of the low- or non-alcoholic stuff, but a glance at the label a few weeks back didn’t confirm his theory, so he’d shrugged it off. It was probably something about beer here outside the city, since having several drinks never seemed to feel the same out here as it did back home. Gladio was large enough to not feel the effects until he was several drinks deep, but he knew for a fact Ignis would never drink more than one back at home and even he had taken to drinking two or three a night with no visible effects. In some part of his mind, Gladio realized he couldn’t remember the last time he felt a nice buzz from drinking, but the thought was quickly dismissed.

The silence of the night was broken by the younger members’ chatter about their game, but Ignis and Gladio sat back to enjoy their drinks in silence. Gladio stared up the beach, past the parking lot and towards the cliffs beyond the lit area. He could see some daemons appearing out of the ground and he watched them in mild fascination. They were small in stature, almost looking like children swaying in the shadows. He knew the creatures were definitely far enough away that he didn’t need to be concerned, especially considering they were sitting atop the haven’s glowing runes of safety, but something about the scene was eating at him. Something felt very, very  _ wrong.  _ He couldn’t quite identify where the feeling was coming from or what it could mean, but it just wasn’t sitting right with him. 

It was almost as if the daemons just existing was causing him unease, but the thought made him scoff. While he would never admit that some of the larger daemons they had heard of since leaving Insomnia did cause him some amount of worry, he knew they had all proven themselves capable warriors in the outlands and he was sure they could handle whatever came their way. Until they crossed paths with some of the creatures they’d heard tales of, there was no point in worrying. The group was rarely out at night anyway, usually opting to already be settled somewhere safe before it became dark enough for the daemon population to emerge. 

But no, it was something more than that that was causing his unease. There was this feeling in the back of his mind that kept popping up: that daemons shouldn’t exist in the first place. While it was true that not much was known about where daemons originated from or why they existed at all, there was yet something else tickling at the back of his thoughts. For some reason he couldn’t fathom, he felt that they shouldn’t exist. Not in the crime against nature sort of way, either, but he had a vague memory of something happening that should have wiped them out, though he couldn’t for the life of him remember what that could have been. 

“Hey, Ig,” Gladio murmured. He waited a moment until he was sure he had Ignis’ attention, then continued, “I think I’m gonna call it a night early.” 

Ignis, vigilant as always, gave him a concerned glance. “Is something the matter?” 

“Nah,” he said, the half-lie falling from his lips easily. Something certainly felt wrong, but he knew it would be inconsiderate to alarm Ignis when he couldn’t explain the cause of his unease or even explain what exactly he was feeling. “Just ready to hit the hay.” 

They each nodded at each other as Gladio stood and quietly slipped away into the tent. He stripped down to his boxers, dismissing his worn clothes into the armiger, and climbed into his sleeping bag. 

The feeling that something was wrong wouldn’t leave him even as he tried to drift off to sleep. Something about the sight of those few small daemons had deeply rattled him. Deep in his gut, he couldn’t shake the sneaking suspicion that something was definitely amiss. He had a long history of trusting his gut when something felt off; he wasn’t about to start ignoring his instincts now.

Thinking back on the time since the group left Insomnia, he found a small smile appearing on his face before slowly fading away. When he thought about the recent weeks, the overall feeling was pleasant enough, but he realized with a creeping sense of unease that he had no idea how long it had been since they left the city. 

Then, he realized he had no clue what day it was. Part of him tried to justify it, rationalizing that they were on a road trip, setting their own schedule, so of course it was normal to forget the day of the week when they had no one to answer to and nowhere specific to be. 

But then he realized he didn’t know what month it was, or how long it had actually been since they embarked on their trip. Had it been weeks? Months? Surely it hadn’t been  _ years,  _ but he couldn’t come up with any concrete number for how long they’d been gone. 

When he tried to think back on what they’d done on the trip, his mind conjured thoughts of hunts and exploring Leide and...what else? It must be the case that if they’d been gone long enough for him to entirely lose track of time then they must have been doing something more, but as he tried to grasp at the memories, they seemed to become hazy and pull away from him, leaving him with only mist-shrouded ideas that were all pleasant enough to think on, but had no substance. 

His blood ran cold when he became fully aware of the fact that he wasn’t sure  _ why _ they had left in the first place. At first, he had no doubt in his mind that this was where they were supposed to be. Ignis would never allow them to dally when there was somewhere they were supposed to be or something they should be attending to...but his mind was drawing a blank. Why had they left their home? They had yet to notice anything they’d forgotten to bring along, so surely it must have been a well planned trip. 

Still lost in thought, Gladio barely noticed the others joining him in the tent. He rolled onto his side, squeezing his eyes shut and aggressively pretending to be asleep, but the gears in his mind wouldn’t stop turning. 

A sudden thought slammed into him: What about Iris? Was she okay? Almost immediately, he felt himself relax. Somehow, despite all the things he was realizing he wasn’t sure about, he was sure she was okay. He couldn’t explain the calming presence he suddenly felt, but he was sure she was fine, even if he couldn’t remember the last time they’d spoken. That much he was confident about. 

Gladio stayed up most of the night thinking, trying to identify the answer to any of the questions swimming in his mind, but ultimately, he found none. He left the tent to watch the sunrise, and as he watched the dawn break over the quay, he decided he would bring up his concerns with Ignis...as soon as he could find a way to explain what exactly felt so unspeakably wrong. 


	4. Beyond Belief

After two blissful days spent on the beach in Galdin, the party of four made their way to Hammerhead for one last stop to service the Regalia before setting off for Duscae. As the car pulled into the parking lot, Prompto found himself bouncing in his seat for a reason he couldn’t explain. That kind of excitement wasn’t out of character for him, but he couldn’t pinpoint the reason for it. 

In a way, it felt like coming home, but that didn’t make sense, considering they’d only been to the Hammerhead garage and diner a handful of times. Unable to reconcile the feeling, he shrugged it off before climbing out of the car. Ignis stopped to talk to the owner about what they needed for the Regalia, but in his impatience, Prompto grabbed Noctis by the wrist and dragged him to the diner. 

Standing at the counter with Noctis, Prompto looked at the menu overhead. He couldn’t remember what he had ordered here in the past, but he’d be thrilled with a burger pretty much anytime, so he ordered two - one for him, one for Noctis - and settled into a booth with his best friend. Noctis was playing King’s Knight - the jerk was trying to pull ahead of Prompto in the rankings, no doubt - but Prompto took a few minutes to just take in his surroundings. 

It took him a moment of thought to remember the name of the cook behind the counter: Rickson. Something about him made Prompto pause, but he couldn’t identify what it was about the guy that was causing his hesitance. Just then, Rickson picked up two baskets with burgers and fries and started to bring them over to the table. Apparently, he caught Prompto staring before he could look away, and he gave the pair an appraising look as he dropped off the food. Prompto blushed, murmuring a quiet thanks for the food. 

Noctis eagerly picked up a fistful of fries and shoved them in his mouth just as Ignis appeared behind him. “Manners, Your Highness,” Ignis chided softly. 

Looking utterly unapologetic, Noctis replied with his mouth still full, “Yes,  _ mom.”  _

Ignis covertly rolled his eyes and motioned with his head for Noctis to scoot over in the booth so he could sit, while Gladio also made a shooing motion at Prompto to do the same. Both of them slid over in their seats to allow the others to sit, and Prompto began to pick at his burger and fries. 

The first bite of his burger was pretty good. Nothing magical but more than adequate. The second bite was less enjoyable. It was like when something tasted better when he was hungry, only it somehow changed in between just two bites. He slowed his chewing, trying to see if savoring the food would help. It didn’t. 

Disappointed, he set his burger down and picked the bottle of ketchup off the table, squeezing some into the corner of his food basket and dipping a fry into it. Even that wasn’t as good as he remembered. Suddenly a lot less enthusiastic about his meal, he sat back and looked around again. 

Conversation at their table petered out once Rickson brought over food for Gladio and Ignis. Glancing up from his meal, Ignis noticed Prompto’s lack of enthusiasm. “Something the matter with your food, Prompto?” he asked. 

“Not...really?” Prompto answered, though it sounded more like a question than he intended. 

“Convincing,” Gladio responded with a snort, but Prompto just shrugged. 

He couldn’t explain it. He knew that he had been to the diner before; he had relatively fond memories of the place to prove it. Yet, something wasn’t quite as he remembered. 

\--

After lunch, Prompto wandered over to the garage with the others. He leaned against the outer wall of the building and listened idly to the conversation between Ignis and the owner of the garage, Mheg. Mheg was an older woman, probably the age he imagined most grandparents to be. Judging by the way she talked, she loved her job, even though it was hard work. 

Prompto’s mind drifted some. When he tuned back into the conversation, Mheg was saying, “It’s gettin’ to be difficult, y’know, workin’ all day in the sun an’ heat.” Something about her Leiden accent pulled at Prompto’s heart, but once again he couldn’t explain why. He’d never heard an accent like that in person until their trip, though it was a familiar enough sound. Must be because of all the TV he watched back home. 

“Understandable,” Ignis replied sympathetically. “Do you run the place all on your own?” 

“That I do,” she confirmed. “My gran’son’s movin’ to the area soon though, to help out ‘round here.” 

“That must be a relief,” said Ignis. 

Realizing he had no part in this conversation, Prompto pushed off the wall and meandered over to the plastic chairs that were always present outside the caravan. As he plopped himself down into one, two thoughts occurred to him:

One, despite the fact that they were in a desert, and Mheg had complained of the heat, Prompto couldn’t remember the last time he actually felt hot. While that could possibly be attributed to the fact that he never wore anything with sleeves when he could help it, that didn’t seem like the correct answer. 

And two, something didn’t feel right about the people here at Hammerhead. Sure, they were all nice enough, plenty polite, and eager to help anyone who came through. But they didn’t feel familiar to him. The more he thought on that point, the more uncomfortable he felt. In his heart, he felt sure that the people of Hammerhead should feel almost like family, but he felt nothing for any of them. Mheg and Rickson didn’t seem like bad people at all, but when he searched his heart for how he felt about them, he came up empty. 

Interrupting his troubled thoughts, Noctis came and sat in the chair next to Prompto. He could feel the way his best friend was examining him closely, and he looked to the ground in discomfort. 

Obviously trying to cheer him up, Noctis asked, “Hey, Prom, you got any photos you wanna show me?” 

The truth was he didn’t. But he also didn’t want to alarm Noctis, so he dutifully pulled out his camera and leaned over the armrest of the chair to position the camera between them. 

Flipping dispassionately through the photos saved to the card, Prompto would have zoned out if it weren’t for Noctis’ occasional comments on the pictures. It was clear that he was trying to be encouraging, but Prompto couldn’t bring himself to care. It didn’t help that he didn’t consider any of the photos to be anything special, so Noctis’ praise only felt hollow and pointless.

The further back in time Prompto flipped in the photos, the more unfamiliar the pictures became. Some of them were taken at night, which was something he rarely did because usually they were all settled in a motel room or on a haven by the time night rolled around, leaving little to take pictures of. 

Stranger still was when the pictures stopped being nature shots and turned to architecture that was entirely foreign to him. 

“Whoa, when were you in Altissia?” Noctis asked suddenly. “I didn’t think you’d ever left Lucis!” 

“I…I haven’t,” Prompto murmured, feeling deeply disquieted. 

“Then why do you have pictures?” Noctis asked, sounding smug, as if confident he’d caught his friend in a lie. 

“I don’t know,” he mumbled in return. 

Prompto’s unease intensified greatly, and he quickly switched off his camera and let it disappear from his hands into the armiger. He took a moment to observe Noctis. He was having trouble reading him - Noctis wasn’t the easiest person on the planet to read if you didn’t know him, but Prompto had gotten pretty good at it over the years. Still, he couldn’t tell what Noctis was thinking now. He would have expected to see some traces of his own unease mirrored in the prince’s features, as Noctis picked up on other’s emotions more than he let on. Instead, he saw only confusion for Prompto’s sudden dismissal of his camera. 

It seemed like Noctis was dismissing the uncomfortable experience easily, but Prompto didn’t feel like it was such a simple matter to ignore. 

\-- 

Later that night, Prompto stared at the ceiling from his bunk on the caravan. While nothing else strange had caught his notice since the incident with the pictures, he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that he had from the event. 

_ Altissia.  _ He had pictures of  _ Altissia _ on his camera. A place he was nearly certain he’d never visited. But the longer he thought about it, the more uncertain he became. He had no memory of leaving Lucis, but he was slowly becoming unsure whether that actually meant anything. He was doubting the reliability of his memory more with each passing moment. 

Idly, he started playing with the wristband he never removed. He wasn’t sure why he had started wearing it, but taking it off was unthinkable at this point. Curious as to whether it had caused a tan line on his skin after all this time in the desert, he removed it - just for a second, to sate his curiosity. 

What he saw startled him even more awake than before. 

Imprinted into his skin was a tattoo of some kind of barcode. He stared at it with wide eyes until his body forced him to blink. 

When he opened his eyes, the tattoo was gone. In the space of a single blink, an indelible mark had vanished. It seemed beyond belief, but so did all the other things he had been noticing all day. But if the other things he had noticed had made him uneasy, this latest detail left him shaken to the core. 

He couldn’t decide whether he was more disturbed by the fact he had a tattoo on his wrist he didn’t recall getting or the fact that it was  _ gone in the blink of an eye.  _

Between the tattoo, the pictures, his odd feelings about the people of Hammerhead - he didn’t know what to think anymore. An alarm bell was sounding in his mind and he didn’t know how to turn it off. 

The pieces of the puzzle were piling up but providing no answers. The only thing he was sure of was that whatever was happening was unnatural and had the power to shatter everything he thought he knew. 

Despite feeling wide awake just moments before, he felt himself drifting off to sleep, seemingly against his will. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this marks the end of what I had written before I started posting. However! I've put a lot of thought into this fic. I've explained it to people both inside and outside the fandom. I'm very confident in this story and I'm very excited to tell the rest of it. There will be more of a wait on the remaining chapters than for these opening ones, but I think I should have another chapter or two up within a week. *crosses fingers* Let's hope, okay?
> 
> I'd like to thank the people who have commented thus far and ask again that people comment if it wouldn't be too much trouble, because I can't express how much it helps me carry on; it really gives me some enthusiasm to get back to writing. No pressure if you don't feel comfortable commenting, but please consider leaving something, even if it's just a heart or a smiley face or something. While detailed comments are great, I'll literally take anything you're up to giving. 
> 
> Also, for anyone who has read my other unfinished stories, I want them to know they have not been abandoned. I have more ideas for some of them than others but none of them are totally off my mind. Finishing these last couple chapters has given me a major confidence boost in writing and I'm optimistic that I'll be posting more in the near future. Thank you to my friends cheering me on and encouraging me to keep writing as long as it was making me happy and reassuring me that breaks are healthy and okay. 
> 
> 'Til next time!


	5. Truth

At breakfast the next morning, all four men were quiet at first, lost in their thoughts of the things they’ve noticed around them that didn’t make sense. It was becoming harder and harder to ignore the way inconsistencies and odd occurrences were piling up.

Finally, Gladio was the first to speak his mind. “Have you guys…noticed anything weird lately?” 

Noctis looked around at the others. They all seemed hesitant to continue, as if something unknown was holding them back. He eventually nodded and softly replied, “Yeah.” 

“What sorts of ‘weird’ things have you noticed?” Ignis asked carefully. It was obvious he had something of his own to contribute but was holding back for the others to begin the conversation. Noctis rolled his eyes slightly at the tactic Ignis often employed. 

Prompto glanced at the others uncomfortably and pitched in, “Well, I have pictures on my camera I don’t recognize. Noct said they were taken in Altissia, but I don’t think I’ve ever been there.”

“Curious,” Ignis remarked simply. He then looked to Noctis. “What have you noticed, Your Highness?” 

Noctis’ expression twitched minutely in discomfort at being addressed by his title. He didn’t say so aloud, but being called that had really felt especially off recently, as if it was no longer supposed to apply to him for some reason he couldn’t explain. He’d never particularly liked the concept of titles, but lately something about it felt wrong instead of being merely annoying. Ignoring the feeling, he contributed, “Like, the hunts we’ve been taking on have been super easy. None of us has gotten hurt once since we left Insomnia.” 

“That could simply be explained by our level of skill,” Ignis murmured quietly, but his troubled tone betrayed that even he didn’t quite believe the words coming out of his own mouth. 

Gladio shook his head to disagree. “No, we’ve been good.  _ Too good,  _ if you ask me. Everyone has off days and accidents happen in the wild; someone should’ve at least broken a nail or something by now…we’ve been out here for how long?” he asked, clearly feeling unsure of the answer himself. The cloudy expression on Ignis’ face made it plain that he couldn’t answer the question, so Gladio continued, “I don’t know how long we’ve been out here, but Ignis should know.”

“I take offense to that,” Ignis muttered resentfully, but it was obvious that he was also agitated over the fact that he didn’t know something that seemed so basic. 

“That’s not an insult, Igs. I’m just saying if anyone should know, it’s you. Add that to the list of weird things,” Gladio replied with a tense shrug, seeming uncharacteristically defensive.

Prompto broke the brief silence that ensued by raising his hand as if in school and asking tentatively, “Does anyone else feel weird about the Regalia?” 

“Yeah, it’s definitely weird,” Noctis confirmed. He looked over his shoulder at the car, a feeling crawling through his chest and down his spine at the sight. 

Once again choosing to be the interrogator rather than contributing with his own observations, Ignis asked, “How so, Noct?” 

Noctis shook his head as if trying to clear it. “Looking at it makes me feel weird. Like I’m forgetting something - something really big.”

Finally acknowledging the situation with an off-putting fact of his own, Ignis replied, “It does seem to have some…features I don’t recall. There’s a button on the dashboard…” 

“A button?” Prompto asked in confusion when Ignis trailed off. 

“Indeed, a button. I don’t recall it being there in the past. I’ve been afraid to press it, but looking at the body of the car causes me to ponder whether it would change the way the car looks or functions.” Ignis took a deep breath and continued, “There have clearly been modifications to the fundamental build of the car. It’s more aerodynamic than I would expect it to be…almost as if it were somehow capable of flight.” 

Jaw dropping at such a ridiculous claim, Noctis replied with a snort, “Flight? You think our car can  _ fly?”  _

Ignis responded in a testy tone, “You all asked, that’s what I think. Don’t look at me like that.”

Noctis tilted his head and asked curiously, “Don’t look at you like what?” 

“Don’t look at me as if I’ve lost my mind,” Ignis snapped. 

A long silence took over, all of them looking everywhere but at each other. Always the one to feel the need to fill awkward silences, Prompto wondered aloud, “I wonder if it’s even possible for us to get hurt.” 

Looking at the blonde as if he had suddenly grown a few extra heads, Ignis asked incredulously, “Why on Eos would it not be possible for us to injure ourselves? Clearly you’re the one who has lost his mind,” he scoffed. If Noctis was reading the situation correctly, Ignis was lashing out in fear - fear that such a ridiculous claim could be true, perhaps? The thought unsettled him. 

“No, Prom’s got a point,” Gladio said, fingers of one had rubbing his chin while he thought about the possibility.

“I can assure you, he does not,” Ignis replied stubbornly. 

Prompto shrunk in his seat, feeling attacked. Noctis gave his advisor a dirty look and replied, “We could test it.”

Turning to Noctis disbelievingly, Ignis said flatly, “Let’s not do that.” 

“Why?” Noctis asked insistently. “It would be easy. There are creatures nearby, we could just pick a fight with some and see what happens. We have plenty of potions if it turns out we’re wrong, but I really think Prompto’s onto something here.” 

When Ignis sputtered unintelligibly for a few moments, Noctis held up a hand to stop him so he could continue himself. “Look, if you can tell me one thing, I’ll drop the idea.”

“And what would that one thing be, Highness?” Ignis asked, sitting up straighter and squaring his shoulders, clearly trying to telegraph he was prepared for the challenge. 

“Why did we leave Insomnia? Why are we even out here?” 

Ignis flinched back as if he had been struck, blinking rapidly in confusion. His gaze traveled down to the surface of the table they were all sitting around, and Noctis knew that the breaking of eye contact meant that Ignis couldn’t answer his seemingly simple question. 

“Alright,” Ignis finally acknowledged. “I’ll support this absurd venture, but I reserve the right to say I told you so when one of you is injured.” 

Noctis nodded resolutely. He hadn’t expected anything less. 

\-- 

Not long after, the group were heading north of Hammerhead. Ignis was still skeptical of this plan of theirs, but he had been the rather vocal minority in that stance. 

“There’s a dualhorn over there,” Noctis said, pointing to the creature fifty yards ahead of them. 

Ignis stopped in his tracks and said,  _ “Really? _ You want to test this foolish theory on a  _ dualhorn? _ Is that truly wise? Couldn’t we find something smaller?” 

“Specs, we have lots of potions and have easily killed things much tougher. I don’t see a problem,” Noctis said, sounding vaguely annoyed but more likely he was just agitated by the strangeness they found themselves experiencing. 

Before Ignis could object again, Noctis jogged forward and threw his blade into the side of the dualhorn, warping into the strike. He then withdrew his sword and warped away far enough to goad the animal but not far enough to cause it to lose interest in its attacker. 

Without missing a beat, the dualhorn lowered its head and charged towards Noctis. Ignis found himself struggling to not look away from this experiment of theirs, but he watched in poorly-veiled horror regardless. Just before the dualhorn could impale Noctis right through his center, it blinked out of existence, leaving Noctis standing and watching where it had been just moments before. 

“This will not be necessary,” an ethereal voice said from behind them. 

All four of them turned in shock at the unexpected voice. Not far behind them stood a woman in glimmering white, a being that could only be a messenger for the Astrals. 

“All will be revealed shortly. Please, return yourselves to the caravan where you last took your rest. I will explain everything.” After she had spoken, she too disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving the four men to look at each other incredulously. 

Prompto broke the astonished silence, whispering, “Back to Hammerhead, I guess.” 

\--

Upon arriving at Hammerhead, they discovered that they were the only ones present in the outpost. The emptiness of the area plucked at memories they couldn’t quite recall. Still in disbelief over what had come of their little experiment, they all climbed the stairs into the caravan in silence. 

As promised, the woman in white was present and waiting for them. She stood in the middle of the trailer, looking wholly out of place among the humble and worn furnishings. While Gentiana could be said to share a physical resemblance to Noctis, this messenger appeared to share a familial relation to Lunafreya, with blond hair flowing over her shoulders and aristocratic facial features, exuding a gentle aura that caused her pure white gown to shimmer in a mesmerizing way.

She gestured for them to sit and said, “I must offer my heartfelt apologies that you have seen through the Astals’ final act.” 

As she spoke the words, all four men were hit with a barrage of memories, consisting almost entirely of misery. They saw the fall of Insomnia, the truth of daemons, the loss of their families, the destruction of Altissia, Lunafreya’s demise, Ignis losing his sight, Prompto’s torture, the ten years of the World of Ruin, Noctis’ ultimate sacrifice…as well as the three others being overwhelmed by daemons just before the break of dawn, resulting in their deaths. The pain was overwhelming when hitting all at once, leaving them all gasping for air. 

“I’m sorry,” the messenger murmured. It was actually the most sincere-sounding comment they’d ever heard from anyone related to the six. Probably the first real apology, too. “It will pass momentarily. Nothing lasts long here, especially pain.” 

Ever-logical, Ignis collected himself first and managed to ask, “You said ‘the Astrals’s final act’. They are, in fact, gone? How are you here then?” 

A rueful smile crossed her face. “Yes, they have faded, but some of their messengers still carry on, for a bit longer at least.” 

Finally, Noctis managed to wrench his attention back to the present and asked, “What do you mean by their ‘final act’?”

Turning to Noctis to address him, the messenger bowed her head slightly before returning to her normal posture and looking him in the eye. “Young King, what do you know of the afterlife?” 

The question stopped his mind in its tracks. Blinking against the confusion and at a loss, he simply responded, “I’m not sure what you’re getting at.” 

“Allow me to explain, then. You are aware that the spirits of the Lucii reside in the ring of your forefathers, yes?” When Noctis confirmed with a solemn nod, she continued, “That is the afterlife of the Lucii. It does not overlap with the afterlife that awaits anyone else who perishes on this star.” 

“So what we saw a minute ago was real?” Gladio asked softly. “We’re all dead?” 

“Yes,” she answered plainly. She saw how Gladio’s iron grip around his leg tightened further at the confirmation, and added, “The Astrals felt great remorse that all of you were lost to this world at once, and a last second decision was made.”

A firmer tone returning to Gladio’s voice, he asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“The Astrals are great, celestial beings, and while distant from humankind, they are not without feeling. The Chosen King made his sacrifice so bravely, and the rest of you remained loyal to the very last, ensuring his duty could be completed and dawn could return once more. Doomed to fade from existence regardless of the outcome of the final battle, they agreed to pour all their remaining power into granting your dearest wish.” 

Noctis’ mouth was dry at this point. He hoarsely asked, “And what’s that? Our ‘dearest wish’?”

“A place where all four of you could be together for all time; a place where tragedy and pain are but a distant memory. And so this place was created. In the Astrals’ haste, it had to be an imperfect form of perfection-” 

Ignis cut off the messenger before his brain could process just who he was interrupting so rudely, saying, “So while we’ve all been feeling something was amiss, that something was the fact that we all  _ died _ and none of this is  _ real?”  _ His tone began to approach a hysterical pitch. 

“It is as real as you wish it to be,” she responded. When none of them could muster a word in reply, she continued, “There is no pain in this place, no sadness. But in exchange, memories are unable to be formed naturally. This is why you’ve all noticed things that felt wrong to you, with pieces of information from your lives drifting through your minds and leaving you before they can solidify. It is also why any memories formed within this place are hazy and fleeting, also slipping away without conscious knowledge.” 

“Well, thanks for comin’ to explain all that,” Gladio said gruffly, “but where does that leave us? Are we trapped here?” 

A frown formed on her face in earnest for the first time since she arrived, confusion tinging her features. “Trapped? We had hoped that this place would be a reward worthy of your actions on the behalf of all Eos. It was never intended to be anything but paradise, although perhaps a hastily constructed one.”

In disbelief, Prompto asked, “But we are dead, right?”

Picking up on Prompto’s train of thought, Ignis elaborated, only the barest hint of bite to his voice, “A gilded cage is still a cage. This is where we are to remain, then?” 

The messenger lowered her gaze to the floor, clearly disappointed at their reaction to the situation. After a long pause, she finally said, “I do have the power to change things, to a degree.” 

She sounded unsure of herself, so Noctis tried to prompt her as gently as he could, “‘To a degree’?”

“I have the power to restore three of you to the world of the dawn.” 

Noctis had a sinking feeling he knew exactly which three of them she meant. “I can’t go back, can I?”

Voice suffused with regret, she replied, “No, I’m afraid not. Your death was ordained, Your Majesty. You were not meant to see the dawn, thus I do not have the power to alter reality and place you somewhere you were never meant to be. Should they wish it, I am happy to expend the last of my power returning your companions to their place following the dawn. It would be my honor.” 

As much as it broke his heart, Noctis knew what had to be done. They had to go back; there was no other way. He was at a loss for what he’d do without his friends, but were his feelings really more important than rebuilding the world? There was no question in his mind that the people remaining on Eos trying to pick up the pieces and rebuild after he’d  _ abandoned _ them for ten years needed Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto far more than he needed companionship. The very thought of being so selfish as to keep them from going back turned his stomach. 

Noctis may have caused the dawn to return, but it was his own fault that he needed so long to prepare, causing countless people to perish before he could complete his destiny. There had never been any real decision in fulfilling that calling; turning away from the people who needed him was unthinkable, as if dying was the  _ least _ he could do for mankind. If he could do one more thing for them before being cut off for eternity, he would sacrifice the company of his friends. He knew that they were capable of much grander things than just making sure he wasn’t alone. 

Ever since he was a child and the Marilith attacked, Noctis had struggled to come to terms with the fact that there were people out there who would die for him, as if he was so much more important. Now he understood why he had been important: he needed to save the world. But now the world was saved, and Noctis refused to allow his own well being to be put above that of others any longer. 

“Take them back,” he told the messenger, trying to force as much authority as he could into his shaking voice. 

“What? Noct, no!” Prompto exclaimed. Ignis and Gladio seemed similarly stunned, both reaching out a hand to him as if saying  _ please don’t go.  _

Noctis tried to remain firm. “You need to go back and help people. Because I  _ can’t,”  _ he said, his voice breaking on the last word. 

Ignis placed a steady hand on Noctis’ shoulder, squeezing it to try and ground him. He turned to the messenger and sounding as if the world rested on his shoulders, asked, “Must we decide now?” 

“My power wanes by the day,” she answered enigmatically. “Soon I may be unable to change anything.” 

“But a day?” he pleaded. “Can we have a day to decide?” 

“I believe that would be possible, yes,” she said before disappearing from the caravan. 

They all sat in silence for several minutes, watching as the subtle glow the messenger displayed faded from view. 

There was much to discuss and not nearly enough time. 

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to thank my fanfic friends, Denaia and Redfoxline, for letting me ramble out this story and work out pieces of it, and for being so encouraging about my writing in general. I'd also like to thank some lovely people on Reddit for helping me figure out how to tag this. I was kinda torn on how to tag it because I didn't want to totally give away the ending, but I feel like the tags make it pretty obvious anyway. If anyone has feedback about my use of tags or anything else on the story, I'd be happy to hear it.
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the opening and all the chapters that will follow. Please consider leaving a comment if it isn't too much trouble, they really make my day!


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